Links:
Black and White Coffee Roasters
Related episodes:
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Writing a job description is the first step in getting the right people in the right positions in your shop. They seem pretty straight forward but there are some elements that you need to consider when creating these documents that, if applied, will create a document that is truly a resource that benefits the business and the staff. Today we will cover some of these elements and why they are critical.
Links to related episodes:
Communicate, Duplicate, Repeat
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As we seek to rebuild our staff in the midst of the pandemic, many different questions come up about re-hiring, deciding who not to bring back, how to decide who to promote, and generally how do we do this in a way that is good for everyone involved. It is not enamors easy task but today we are going to gain a lot of clarity about these topics and more as we talk with the always insightful, Dave Stachowiak.
Dave founded Coaching for Leaders in 2011. Since them the podcast has been downloaded 12 million times and is consistently ranked as the #1 podcast in business, coaching, and management.
Dave was named in Forbes as one of the 25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015 and has also been featured in U.S. News & World Report.
He previously served as Senior Vice President with Dale Carnegie of Southern Los Angeles and led training programs for top organizations like the Northrop Grumman Corporation, The United States Air Force, the Boeing Company, and the University of California system.
In our conversation today we will cover:
Links:
Dave's past KTTS episodes:
184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak
025 : Mastering the Art of Training w/ Dave Stachowiak
My past episodes on Dave's show:
415: Employee Retention in Small Business, with Chris Deferio
Related episodes:
172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!
074 : The Life Changing Power of Good Authority w/ Jonathan Raymond
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
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When is comes to community and serving the neighborhood well through the cafe, you'd be hard pressed to find a better example than Franny Lou's Porch, in Philadelphia, PA.
Blew Kind began her entrepreneurial journey in 2010 with Leotah's Place in North Philly then, moving across the street and renaming it, she established Franny Lou's Porch. All along the way Blew's goals have been to create an inclusive, loving and distinctly human coffee shop experience. With an emphasis on activism, health, and the history, art, and culture of the black community, Franny Lou's Porch has been a dynamic for peace and change.
In today's Founder Friday interview we are going to explore the genesis of Blew's coffee career and also that of her shop and the challenges, lessons, and experiences that she has had seeing this vision into fruition.
This was a fantastic conversation and I hope it inspires you.
We discuss:
Links:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/franny-lous-porch-covid-relief
Related episodes:
230 : Making room for Community in your Shop
139 : Founder Friday w/ Kusanya Cafe co-founder, Phil Sipka
183 : Exploring Diversity w/ Phyllis Johnson
116 : Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
You've heard of FOMO, but what about the insidious FOLO? This is the Fear of Limited Options and is a big mental hurdle that most coffee bars have to leap over. If you want to run a healthy business and not have your menu built on a very shaky foundation then today's episode is for you.
We are going to discuss what is behind FOLO, why you don't need to fall into or follow it, and what to do instead.
Recommended episodes:
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This is going to be a deep dive into some foundational ideas related to your shop and the way it exists in your community. I wasn't planning this episode but I really felt a gut-level urgency about the message.
Thing is, if we want to build something that lasts and is resilient in the face of our resent and future challenges then prioritizing community what we should be doing. Do we we leave room for, or even really consider, the community when we set out to start and run our stores? What are the ramifications of not doing this and what are the benefits of focusing on it?
Today I am sharing some deeper thoughts that tap into the roots of the what and why of our profession and I hope you listen with an open heart.
Some things we will cover:
Conversational nature of your business
139 : Founder Friday w/ Kusanya Cafe co-founder, Phil Sipka
227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds
181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge
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There is an abundance of stress to go around right now. I'd say it is likely the most tense and uncertain time I have seen in coffee in my 20 years of working in retail. Stress leads to more stress and as someone who is prone to stress/panic attacks etc I feel this reality all too well.
The question is, since it does not seem to be letting up, what do we do with it?
Today I wanted to briefly chat about not stressing about stress and turning the tables on it to use it to our advantage. Please follow the links below for more helpful resources and to listen to the great talk by Kelly McGonigal that was the inspiration for this Shift Break.
I love you all. You can do it.
Links:
TED Talk: How to make Stress your Friend by Kelly McGonigal
Related Episodes:
095 : Dealing with Stress in the Cafe w/ Wellness Counselor, Joe Sanok
111 : Self Care 101: Taking care of yourself while taking care of others
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Entering into a new role, or even just taking over a new cafe or team, is a daunting challenge. Many burn out and the experience leaves a bitter taste in their mouth and a lot of destruction in their wake. In the midst of the reshuffling during COVID there are a lot of opportunities to establish a new way of approaching management in the shop and in this episode I am going to be giving what I think may be some the most important practices to put in place to thrive as a new manager or to make your management new.
As I recorded this I got the feeling that it may be one the most essential episode in the KTTS library on the subject.
Please listen deeply and share widely.
I can honestly say that if you practice these things consistently you will have a very strong foundation for the rest of your career.
We will dig into and expound on:
Related and recommended episodes:
226 : The Art of being Indispensable at Work w/Bruce Tulgan
224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown
028 : Why it’s Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan
The One-on-One : How one meeting can dramatically impact your coffee shop's culture and morale.
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Not everything we do is fun. Actually, there are a lot of dirty, time-consuming, repetitive tasks that we have to do everyday on order for the cafe to function. Even though these tasks seem rather dull, we can transform them into something of great worth and in the process push ourselves and our businesses forward.
Today we are going to talk about how becoming a work alchemist will help you to turn the every thing you do into gold!
Related Episodes:
098 : Loving the Closing Shift : Problems, solutions, and philosophy on work
121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Strengths Finder Guru, Lisa Cummings
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Leadership is a HUGE topic and it is easy to get overwhelmed with the never-ending opinions and techniques that are available these days. It is cruel in a way because in a time where we need good leadership the most we want to find good resources but the choice of what voice to listen to is often paralyzing. Enter todays guest, Alain Hunkins.
Alain Hunkins is a sought-after leadership speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. His recent book, Cracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders launched as the #1 Bestselling New Release in Business Communication on Amazon.
Over his twenty-year career, Alain has led over 2,000 groups in 25 countries. Clients include Wal-Mart, Pfizer, Citigroup, General Electric, State Farm Insurance, IBM, General Motors, and Microsoft.
Alain has designed and facilitated seminars on numerous leadership topics, including teambuilding, conflict management, communication, peak performance, innovation, engagement, and change. Alain also serves on the faculty of Duke Corporate Education and has published over 400 articles on leadership.
In today's conversation Alain is going to give us some key insights from his bestselling book on how we can elevate our leadership and the leadership of our managers by creating better connection, communication, and collaboration with our teams and customers plus the habits necessary to make these best practices truly stick
You will learn about:
Links:
www.crackingtheleadershipcode.com
Related Episodes:
212: Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis
179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap
181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge
109 : Leadership Abandonment Syndrome : Lack of development in senior staff and what to do about it
224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown
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We assume that if nobody is complaining and life seems to be going along smoothly that all is well. We enact the popular mantra of "Well, no news is good news!"
In reality though, "no news" is bad news. Why do we think this way?
Today we will be discussing why no news is bad news and what kind of mindset and actions we need o be cultivating in order to be in the know and certain about the true state of our coffee shops.
Related Episodes:
227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds
Building a Culture of Feedback
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Elevated batch brew and so much more!
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More than communication, we need connection! As we move forward through the current retail landscape the currency of connection with our guests and also our staff becomes more valuable. A focus on connection and conversational communication is what will separate the sustainable businesses from the unsustainable. Today we will be diving into the need for reaching the hearts and minds of our customers and staff and some practical tips that will help pull out out of the theoretical, utilitarian, numbers focused reality we are used to, and into the relational reality of what people experience in our stores and what drive resiliency and long-term healthy growth.
We will learn about:
Related Episodes:
009 : How to Approach Data and Metrics w/ Simon Ouderkirk
Building an Accessible Coffee Menu w/ Joe Marrocco
201 : Igniting your Curiosity w/ Cody Gough
030 : Casey Underkofler : Matching Your Service to Your Quality
035 : The Consumer Revolution w/ Kevin Sinnott
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Nobody likes to feel bad. In fact in management we are somewhat obsessed with avoiding negative emotions, confrontation, and challenging our staff out of a sense of self preservation or keeping the peace. We believe that if things feel good in the short term then things will go well long term. That is not necessarily the case.
Today we are going to be discussing the approach of long-game management and why utilizing this way of leading will create long term stability, mutual respect, and ultimately a resilient coffee shop.
Related episodes:
125 : Confidence in Conflict w/ Kwame Christian : A framework for Compassionate Curiosity
104 : How to Deliver Difficult Feedback w/ Tom Henschel
052 : Solving Coworker Conflict w/ Tom Henschel
074 : The Life Changing Power of Good Authority w/ Jonathan Raymond
028 : Why it’s Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan
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Are you a "go-to" person? How do you show up at work in a way that gains trust and makes you an essential and indispensable member of the team? These are important questions to answer right now as many teams are being re-built and companies need to rely on their staff to come through more than ever. Today we welcome back to the show, regular guest and one of my favorite authors on leadership, career, and management, Bruce Tulgan!
Bruce is the founder of Rainmaker Thinking and the author of more than 20 books including the best selling "It's OK to be the Boss" and "The 27 Challenges Managers Face" He is regarded the world over as a leading authority on management and leadership and is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and many other international publications.
Bruce's brand new book, The Art of Being Indispensable at Work, cracks the code and, in typical fashion for his work, gives a practical and detailed road map for how to become the go-to person in your cafe without succumbing to burn-out and over commitment.
It is a book that is the epitome of timeliness as we seek to create value in our roles that leads to more security, trust, and growth. This is a very critical subject. Not only to apply to your own career, but also to help you facilitate these behaviors in those you lead.
In this episode you will learn about:
Links:
Related Episodes:
224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown
141 : The 27 Challenges Managers Face w/ Bruce Tulgan
028 : Why it’s Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan
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As we struggle through COVID and seek also to care for our staff, show hospitality, and address the needs of our community around racial justice, we need to lean on the example of people who have excelled in those areas that we seek to improve. Dorian Bolden was a guest on Founder Friday back in August of 2018 and was one of my favorite interviews ever. He has built a Beyu Caffe to be a solid, profitable, community focused, cafe even in the midst of the economic down turn of 2008. Dorian's values drive the company to be "The ultimate community gathering space" that puts a clear emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and hospitality.
Another reason why I loved this interview was how much Dorian shares about his own journey as an owner learning the ropes or entrepreneurship and having to over come some pretty significant personal and professional challenges.
I hope that Dorian's example and experiences help you, inspire you, and give you a focus on how you can run a great business and also help serve your community by making hospitality and diversity a part of your shops DNA.
Links:
Related Episodes:
183 : Exploring Diversity w/ Phyllis Johnson
116 : Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton
045 : Simple, Powerful Hospitality w/ Philip Turner
132 : Baristas Speak Vol. 3 : Interviews from Coffee Champs, Nashville 2019
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
We all can have a difficult time with serving the public. These days we may be putting on a literal mask, but if we are honest, we have been wearing a metaphorical mask for a while now. Much of how we show up on at work has to do with how we show up outside of work. If we want to thrive I the shop and bring in people who will create a genuinely caring culture then we have to focus ourselves outwardly. Today we are going to be talking about how we can cultivate a wholistic approach to service that will ease stress, create great experiences for staff and customers alike, and give you more energy for what you do because of who you are.
Related Episodes:
Your peers are not your Customers
055 : Personal Growth & Development w/ Jared Truby, Cat & Cloud Coffee
019 : 10 Reasons to Love the Customer w/ Chris Deferio
176 : Harnessing Emotions at Work w/ Andrea Hoban of Oji Life Lab
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What is essential? Many of us have been forced into a place of asking this question for the sake of survival and are now looking to create a new way forward for ourselves, our businesses, and our families. If we want our work and life to be imbued with purpose, joy, clarity, and thriving then we need to embrace this question not as just a survival tactic but as a normal state of being.
We need to become Essentialists.
Today I am honored to welcome to the show, Greg McKeown, author of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times best selling book, "Essentialism: The Disciplined pursuit of Less"
Greg McKeown has dedicated his career to discovering why some people and teams break through to the next level—and others don’t. This book challenges core assumptions about achievement to get to the essence of what really drives success.
Greg is the CEO of McKeown Inc. Clients include Adobe, Apple, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Salesforce.com, Symantec, Twitter, VMware and Yahoo!. His writing has appeared or been covered by The New York Times, Fast Company, Fortune, HuffPost, Politico, and Inc. Magazine. He is among the most popular bloggers for the Harvard Business Review and he has been interviewed on numerous television and radio shows including NPR, NBC, FOX, and as a regular guest on The Steve Harvey Show. Entrepreneur voted his interview at Stanford University the #1 Must-See Video on Business, Creativity and Success.
McKeown is an accomplished public speaker. He has spoken to hundreds of audiences around the world and is also the host of the new show "The Essentialism Podcast" where he interviews amazing people from all over the world about their experiences practicing essentialism in work and in life.
In today's conversation we will be discovering the genesis of Essentialism and how we can take the first steps in overcoming the frazzled and overwrought lives we lead and spend our time on the vital few -vs- the trivial many.
You will learn about:
Links:
Related Episodes:
008 : Finding Joy in Coffee w/ Nathanael May
181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge
184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak
Making hasty decisions about who you put into what position has always been the Achilles heal of the cafe. As we work to put our shops back together we are going to be under even more pressure to fill positions throughout the organization and the temptation will be to do this faster than may be healthy. Today we are going to talk about the importance of slowing down to make good decisions on who you bring back and put in place in the cafe so you can Both fill a need in the moment without a lot of regret later on.
Related Episodes:
Elevate your to-go coffee!
Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve!
Oh boy is this a critical episode! Which one of us does not want to have more financial security? Especially these days? It is not an understatement to say that the future of your cafe hinges on how well you manage your money now and how well you understand money's role in your business. So many of us are rebuilding from the COVID crisis and in need of guidance on how to create financial resiliency in order to both thrive in the coming recession and be prepared for other normal financial challenges that come our way.
Today's episode is going to deliver an extraordinary amount of information and actionable insights for you to build a financially sound business in the midst of uncertain times. We are joined by financial planner, CPA, and consultant Andrew Carroll of www.cfoandrew.com
Andrew Carroll has been advising people on business and their financial lives for over ten years. He has helped countless people and businesses with their taxes, investments, insurance, business strategy, operations, mergers and acquisitions, and accounting. As a CPA he specializes in personal finances and also specializes in management accounting where he helps bring understanding to how we use numbers to make decisions. He has an incredible gift of being able to articulate and break down financial concepts into language that is not only relatable and understandable, but really connects to the heart of what we need to hear.
This conversation is value-packed with insights that will change the way you see and run you business for the better.
We discuss:
Links:
Related episodes:
160 : The Smart Way to Approach Money w/ Jill Schlesinger
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You won't get it right...at least not right away. This is the nature of our pursuit in coffee and the relationships we have within it. These days we are surrounded by opportunities to engage in ways that can lead to greater depth o of relationship and a better quality of experience in the cafe. The problem is, we are often paralyzed by fear. Fear of failing, fear of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. We want to wait until we have the perfect or the best, before we engage.
Today, we are going to talk about the idea of taking action to achieve higher degrees of imperfection and how we can work toward a goal with grace to produce an outcome that builds up and deepens everything around us.
Links:
Elevate your to-go coffee!
Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve!
Throughout history the coffee shop has been a catalyst for conversation. The subject of that conversation is as wide and varied as your clientele and your community. There are subjects of conversation that are very niche and only apply to a few people, and then there are subjects that are happening on a large scale and are relevant and impactful to everyone. Race and Justice is one of those subjects and the cafe as a modern 3rd place institution needs to be able to interact with it well in order to serve well.
We have several different relationships that we manage in the cafe space. Employees, customers, followers, and purveyors. As leaders we need to make space for, and engage in, these difficult conversations.
Today we are going to discuss how to approach these difficult conversations with my good friend, Kwame Christian, Director of the American Negotiation Institute. Kwame is best selling author of the book Confidence in Conflict, a sought after speaker, and the host of the worlds #1 negotiation podcast Negatiate Anything.
Kwame is dedicated to empowering others and has helped countless individuals overcome the fear, anxiety, and emotion often associated with difficult conversations through a branded framework called Compassionate Curiosity.
As an attorney and mediator with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Public Policy, and a Juris Doctorate (Law Degree), Kwame brings a unique multidisciplinary approach to making difficult conversations easier.
In this episode we are going to explore how to approach these difficult conversations and the issues that can arise around them.
In this conversation we will cover:
Links and resources:
www.americannegotiationinstitute.com
Related episodes:
183: Exploring Diversity w/ Phyllis Johnson
125: Finding Confidence in Conflict w/ Kwame Christian
159: Addressing Unconscious Bias w/ Lauren Lathrop
116: Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton
139: Founder Friday w/ Phil Sipka, Kusanya Cafe
220 : Founder Friday w/ Sarah Barnett Gill
165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
In this time we need to take a good look at ourselves and how we are using the power we have been given. In the cafe, authority and power is a gift that is meant to be you used for the benefit of others. Yet, just we have seen in recent days, power often corrupts and is used as a weapon against those for whom it was supposed to benefit.
What is the purpose of the authority we have been given? How do we view and use the power we have in the cafe? Today I am re-airing an episode called "6 Truths about Power" from 2018 that I believe will help set us on the right course. The principles here are applicable both in the shop and beyond.
My hope is that we can refine our approach and actions to build a better future.
Related Episodes:
Elevate your to-go coffee!
Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve!
We are in the people business. Having a great people program is a critical part of being able to thrive as a small business since the degree to which you care for your people, and they feel cared for, directly impacts how they care for the business and its customers. Now, more than ever, we need to lean into creating a people-first strategy for doing business in the future and today we will be learning from one of the best in HR the foundational elements that contribute to a great people program in your shop.
Dana Goodwin is an HR consultant working with clients in specialty coffee, food service, and retail. She partners with leaders to create intentional people programs and help find solutions to HR challenges. Her specialties include workplace culture, recruiting operations, and retention strategy. Dana has been working in retail and hospitality for over 20 years. She holds a master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Colorno, Italy and has led teams and recruiting and HR operations at Eataly, Dickson's Farmstand, and Blue Bottle Coffee.
This is a very good conversation the covers a wide range of HR related strategies, and concerns. I hope this empowers you in your efforts to truly care for your people in a systematic and intentional way.
You will learn about:
Links:
Dana is offering the KTTS audience free 30 minute advisory calls! Contact her here:
More resource:
Related Episodes:
123 : The 10 Essentials of a Barista Manual
104 : How to Deliver Difficult Feedback w/ Tom Henschel
151 : How to React and Respond to Negative Feedback
194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe
213 : Coping with Corona using Emotional Intelligence w/ Andrea Hoban
Join the community!
Keys to the Shop on Mighty Network
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
This Founder Friday is a wild, unique, and refreshingly honest experience. Today we are going to be talking with the one and only Sarah Barnett Gill, the owner of Mama Mocha's in Auburn, AL. Sarah has been in coffee since 2003 and for the last 7+ years has been operating one of the most unique, authentic, and welcoming coffee shops around. Mama Mocha's is a beacon of diversity, love, and simple honest enjoyment of people and coffee. In the pursuit of this Sarah has worked hard to grow her business from a small roastery in a $200/mo room of a bookstore to an established community icon of great coffee and charming hospitality that wins peoples hearts and taste buds.
This conversation covers a wide range of topics from the expected to the quit un-expected. Sarah is not afraid to take bold stands and is equal parts serious business woman, and fun loving protector of the marginalized. Plus, like me, she loves a good dark roasted coffee.
So, buckle up, this is going to be a refreshing and wild ride.
You will lean about:
Links:
Related Episodes:
159: Addressing Unconscious Bias w/ Lauren Lathrop
116: Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton
139: Founder Friday w/ Phil Sipka, Kusanya Cafe
165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli
Join the community!
Keys to the Shop on Mighty Network
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
Everyone in the shop is on high alert! Updates and changes to rules and regulations are happening almost daily and we are, as staff, very tuned into to the landscape of how things should be done in the shop. What about the customers though? Should we expect them to be just as vigilant and aware? How do we empathetically enforce the new normal with our patrons? Today we will be talking about the COVID communication bubble and how we can get out of it when our customers come back in.
Related Episodes:
Communicate, Duplicate, Repeat : Key habits that make information stick
Elevate your to-go coffee!
Amazing grinders making great coffee easy to achieve!